State your case

Today, President Rodrigo Duterte will deliver his State of the Nation Address (Sona). This is an occasion highly anticipated by Filipinos of different orientations. The Sona will be subjected to different interpretations and perceptions depending on where one is coming from.

Duterte’s report will come amid a low trust rating of +45 so the president is expected to dispel all doubts that Filipinos’ confidence on his leadership is waning.

I will venture on giving Sona, the acronym, a different twist as perceived by the different sectors of our society.

To the Makabayan and other left-leaning organizations, Sona is the Scene of Nationwide Admission as it is their wish that the president will enumerate all failings on national television.

“Iba ang sinasabi, iba ang sinoSONA,” says a market vendor. She is just one of those who were economically displaced due to strict enforcement of laws and regulations and their cities’ ordinances. Sona is interpreted as Source of National Affliction.

To the opposition, Sona should include Scores of National Accountability. Whereas, to those with political alliance to Duterte’s party, Sona is timely especially with the coming 2019 election; therefore, it is the Scene of National Antecedence.

To a skeptical architect, Sona is the Same Old Narrative Antefix. By the way, antefix is an ornament at the eaves of a classical building concealing the ends of the joint tiles of the roof. What an analogy!

For those in the medical field, Sona is a Syringe of National Antidote. To a rapper, Sona is a Song of Nationalistic Avow.

Since our president is being disliked for his unconventional speeches highlighted by curses, expletives and seemingly promotion for the culture of killing, Sona is the Scene of National Anathema.

In the aftermath of Duterte’s blasphemous remarks, Church leaders enjoined the Catholic faithful to observe abstinence and pray for three consecutive days. With a Biblical connotation; do they consider Sona as the State of National Antediluvian?

Sona is an opportunity for our honorable ladies in Congress and the Senate to parade Filipiniana gowns designed by our couturiers. Should we call it Showcase of Native Attire?

It is important that we take the Sona with a grain of salt. Duterte or his apologist is known to issue a disclaimer when the President’s statement becomes controversial. Sidestepping, “Joke lang

yun,” seems to be the convenient excuse.

As a media practitioner, I will record his Sona.